So, we all heard the not-so-great reviews (okay, scathing criticism) of last year’s Academy Awards hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco. Franco responded by skipping out on his own after-show party, but Hathaway took it a step farther. She went to Africa on a mission for charity to get away from all of the Oscars talk.

According to ContactMusic, the trip opened the actress’ eyes to what is really important and she says it was “the best thing she could have done” at the time. “Almost immediately afterwards, I went to Africa for the first time with an initiative that I work with called The Girl Effect, and I just realised that all these feelings that I was having, maybe even the negative ones, were a privilege to be had, and that good, bad, middling, whatever the Oscars were… I mean, I met a woman on this trip who got married at the age of five.” The Girl Effect is a movement to create change for young girls and their families living in poverty. The movement is based on the beliefs that “adolescent girls are capable of raising the standard of living in the developing world,” and that “girls are the most likely agents of change, but they are often invisible to their societies and to our media.”

Hathaway talked about her trip to Africa and the effect it had on her after the Oscars experience. “A lot of people are now coming out against underage marriage, so many of these young girls are now getting educated and lives in these villages are improving. So I went from the most over-the-top, glamorous, grand experience to watching these girls from the age of seven to probably 16 who had written a very involved skit, which they excellently performed, on why underage marriage is bad and the problems that it causes. That experience just knocked my head absolutely into the right place.”

While Anne says it’s doubtful she would ever host another Oscars, it looks like she is ready to shine the spotlight on girls who need a brighter future.

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About Jennifer Mishler

Jennifer Mishler is a writer, and a vegan and animal activist. When she's not writing, you can often find her volunteering or advocating for animal, environmental and human rights causes. Along with writing for Ecorazzi, she has contributed writing for nonprofits like Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and enjoys blogging. She resides in the Washington, DC area (and loves all the vegan food it has to offer). Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jennygonevegan.

i disagree with focusing only on girls. Girls, boys, everybody can be “an agent of change”. It’s all about bad education in underdeveloped countries, regardles of girls or boys. Focus on children, not only girls.